EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Short Interview with Sarah Kobos

February 01, 2013

David J. Carol

&COPY;SARAH KOBOS

Sarah Kobos is a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina with a major in Photography. I was made aware of her work when she entered my Facebook "Halloween" photo contest. Her self portrait was one of the winners! I looked at more of her photographs and decided she would be perfect for Emerging Photographer. Here are some of her pictures and a short interview. Enjoy...

Why did you start shooting self portraits?

It was a fun and safe way to experiment and hone my skills when I was starting out as a photographer, and I really enjoyed it, so I continued to do just that. I see it as a great outlet for expression, as well.

How much do you hold back or censor yourself, if at all, when shooting a self portrait?

I've never really thought about this. I tend to be a bit of a reserved person, so I definitely step away from that when doing a self portrait. But I do sometimes see myself holding back a bit for fear of going over the top and/or self-consciousness, since they are photos of myself, after all.

You're definitely an emerging photographer. What does that mean to you? What or who has been your biggest influence?

Thank you! To me, an emerging photographer is someone who has a lot of promise and drive, but is still just starting out and trying to figure out who they are as an artist.

I could go on and on about my influences and inspirations, but the photo/arts/general creative community in Columbia and my professors have probably had the most direct influence on me and helped shape me the most. But as far as self portraits go, there are several photographers who do influence me a lot, such as Lucia Holm, Kyle Thompson, and Lissy Elle. Sometimes I almost want to put down my camera because they're so damn good (but I'd never). They have a lot more work than I do. But I'm being tugged on by many different styles of photography and I can't seem to stick to just one yet. And that's okay.

It's your 29th birthday. Describe the three best parts of your life right now.

I'm living in New York or San Francisco surrounded by people and things that constantly inspire me, I'm making and showing lots of work that I'm happy with, and I have a job that lets me be creative and collaborative.

It's almost my 23rd birthday now, so here's to the next six years being full of growth and progress!